Devastated colleagues are mourning the death of a young paramedic killed outside a Sydney fast food outlet, as it emerged his partner is expecting a second child.
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The 29-year-old, named by media outlets as Steven Tougher, was fatally stabbed outside Campbelltown McDonald's while he and a workmate took a break towards the end of their night shift about 5.30am on Friday.
The colleague activated a duress alarm, sparking a police response in which a 21-year-old man wielding a knife was tasered and arrested. No charges have been laid.
The victim, who had been working for the ambulance service for about a year, was assisted by witnesses at the scene but died shortly after arriving at Liverpool Hospital.
"The surgeons ... worked valiantly, albeit futile in this instance, to support our colleague," NSW Ambulance Commissioner Dominic Morgan said.
The slain man's father said his son always wanted to be a paramedic and had just been posted to southwest Sydney, Dr Morgan said.
"I've met with the family and as you can imagine personally, it's very difficult to process," he said.
A GoFundMe page set up on Friday afternoon sought support for the paramedic's partner, Madison.
"Madison is due to have her second child in a few short weeks," the page description read.
In the first four hours since the campaign was created it had amassed almost $50,000 in donations.
Dr Morgan said it was a tragedy for any person who puts themselves on the line for the community to not come home.
"I'm told he was just so pleased he was going to be able to stay here with his family, bring up his children and look forward to the area he lived in and loved more than anything."
He said it also take "a very long time for NSW Ambulance and the broader family to recover from such a traumatic event".
Paramedics unions said the "profound tragedy" highlighted how often such work took place in hostile environments.
"An incident like this only heightens the awareness of the important job that we do," Australian Paramedics Association assistant secretary Brendan McIlveen said.
"We extend our deepest sympathy and support to the family and colleagues of this young paramedic," Health Services Union state secretary Gerard Hayes said.
NSW Health Secretary Susan Pearce battled tears as she told reporters the health system was one big family and "everything conceivable" would be done to support the paramedic's relatives.
"To lose someone in this way is incomprehensible to us. Our health system has been through a lot over these last three years," she said.
"We're so grateful to the police for their assistance this morning, to the words of condolence that we've received from so many."
The man arrested at the scene remained in custody later on Friday as police reviewed CCTV footage and interviewed witnesses. He had few prior interactions with police, Deputy Commissioner Mal Lanyon said.
Detectives were seeking information about a blue Honda Jazz being driven around the Ingleburn and Campbelltown areas before the pre-dawn attack.
Premier Chris Minns said his heart went out to the victim's family and all 4600 paramedics.
"NSW has lost a young paramedic, a young man whose life was in front of him," he told reporters.
"To all paramedics in NSW today who after hearing this news put on their paramedic uniform and serve the people of NSW, thank you for your dedication."
Australian Associated Press
